Hollywood: The Man with the Megaphone (1980)
**** (out of 4)
This episode in the Hollywood documentary takes a look at directors and their egos. The documentary series has already looked at several directors like Griffith and DeMille but this one here gives a wider look at a bigger range. Not only do we hear about the directors but we also hear about their egos and how crazy many of them were. Those interviewed here include Bessie Love, Janet Gaynor, Alan Dwan, King Vidor and Eleanor Boardman. After looking at some of the early guys we take a look at F.W. Murnau moving to Fox where he got to make a film that was 100% his and that was SUNRISE. Gaynor, who won an Oscar for her part, talks about the rather harsh direction he would give to the German people on the set but the actress says he would never raise his voice to her. We learn about how Murnau wanted the film to look and the different ways he managed to direct actors. The last fifteen-minutes take a look at Vidor's ground breaking THE CROWD, which he made with wife Boardman. The two still have a very sharp memory about the making of the film and they share all sorts of stories including the director going into Thalberg's office and saying he was worried that the movie wasn't going to make any money due to its subject matter. Thalberg, in a rare move, said it didn't matter as long as they were making something special. This episode gives us some great stories about how silents were made but it was also quite funny because there are several clips from early comedies where the director, his ego and maniac ways are laughed at.